CROSS TIMBERS ROYALTY TRUST - Quarter Report: 2017 September (Form 10-Q)

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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

Form 10-Q

For the quarterly period ended September 30, 2017

OR

Commission File Number: 1-10982

Cross Timbers Royalty Trust

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

(855) 588-7839

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

NONE

(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if change since last report)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes  ☒    No  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).    Yes  ☐    No  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act (check one):

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Exchange Act Rule 12b-2).    Yes  ☐    No  ☒

Indicate the number of units of beneficial interest outstanding, as of the latest practicable date:

Outstanding as of November 1, 2017

6,000,000

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CROSS TIMBERS ROYALTY TRUST

FORM 10-Q FOR THE QUARTERLY PERIOD ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2017

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CROSS TIMBERS ROYALTY TRUST

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

The following are definitions of significant terms used in this Form 10-Q:

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CROSS TIMBERS ROYALTY TRUST

PART I - FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1. Financial Statements.

The condensed financial statements included herein are presented, without audit, pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in annual financial statements have been condensed or omitted pursuant to such rules and regulations, although the Trustee believes that the disclosures are adequate to make the information presented not misleading. These condensed financial statements should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and the notes thereto included in the Trust’s latest Annual Report on Form 10-K. In the opinion of the Trustee, all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, necessary for a fair statement of the assets, liabilities and trust corpus of the Cross Timbers Royalty Trust at September 30, 2017, and the distributable income and changes in trust corpus for the three- and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2017 and 2016, have been included. Distributable income for such interim periods is not necessarily indicative of distributable income for the full year. The condensed financial statements as of September 30, 2017, and for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2017 and 2016 have been subjected to a review by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, the Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm, whose report is included herein.

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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Unitholders of Cross Timbers Royalty Trust and

Southwest Bank, Trustee

We have reviewed the accompanying condensed statement of assets, liabilities and trust corpus of Cross Timbers Royalty Trust (the “Trust”) as of September 30, 2017, and the related condensed statements of distributable income and changes in trust corpus for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2017 and 2016. These interim financial statements are the responsibility of the Trustee.

We conducted our review in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). A review of interim financial information consists principally of applying analytical procedures and making inquiries of persons responsible for financial and accounting matters. It is substantially less in scope than an audit conducted in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the objective of which is the expression of an opinion regarding the financial statements taken as a whole. Accordingly, we do not express such an opinion.

As described in Note 1, these interim financial statements were prepared on the modified cash basis of accounting, which is a comprehensive basis of accounting other than accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Based on our review, we are not aware of any material modifications that should be made to the accompanying condensed interim financial statements for them to be in conformity with the basis of accounting described in Note 1.

We previously audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the statement of assets, liabilities and trust corpus as of December 31, 2016, and the related statements of distributable income and changes in trust corpus for the year then ended (not presented herein), and in our report dated March 10, 2017, we expressed an unqualified opinion on those financial statements. In our opinion, the information set forth in the accompanying condensed statement of assets, liabilities and trust corpus as of December 31, 2016 is fairly stated, in all material respects, in relation to the statement of assets, liabilities and trust corpus from which it has been derived.

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CROSS TIMBERS ROYALTY TRUST

Condensed Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Trust Corpus (Unaudited)

The accompanying notes to condensed financial statements are an integral part of these statements.

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CROSS TIMBERS ROYALTY TRUST

Condensed Statements of Distributable Income (Unaudited)

The accompanying notes to condensed financial statements are an integral part of these statements.

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CROSS TIMBERS ROYALTY TRUST

Condensed Statements of Changes in Trust Corpus (Unaudited)

The accompanying notes to condensed financial statements are an integral part of these statements.

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CROSS TIMBERS ROYALTY TRUST

Notes to Condensed Financial Statements (Unaudited)

The financial statements of Cross Timbers Royalty Trust (the “Trust”) are prepared on the following basis and are not intended to present financial position and results of operations in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”):

Costs deducted in the calculation of net proceeds for the 90% net profits interests generally include applicable taxes, transportation, marketing and legal costs. In addition to those costs, the 75% net profits interests include deductions for production expense, development costs, operating charges and other costs.

The financial statements of the Trust differ from those prepared in conformity with U.S. GAAP because revenues are recognized when received rather than accrued in the month of production, expenses are recognized when paid rather than when incurred, and certain cash reserves may be established by the Trustee for contingencies which would not be recorded under U.S. GAAP. This comprehensive basis of accounting other than U.S. GAAP corresponds to the accounting permitted for royalty trusts by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, as specified by Staff Accounting Bulletin Topic 12:E, Financial Statements of Royalty Trusts.

Most accounting pronouncements apply to entities whose financial statements are prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP, directing such entities to accrue or defer revenues and expenses in a period other than when such revenues were received or expenses were paid. Because the Trust’s financial statements are prepared on the modified cash basis, as described above, most accounting pronouncements are not applicable to the Trust’s financial statements.

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Impairment of Net Profits Interest

The Trustee reviews the Trust’s net profits interests (“NPI”) in oil and gas properties for impairment whenever events or circumstances indicate that the carrying value of the NPI may not be recoverable. In general, the Trustee does not view temporarily low prices as an indication of impairment. The markets for crude oil and natural gas have a history of significant price volatility and though prices will occasionally drop significantly, industry prices over the long term will continue to be driven by market supply and demand. If events and circumstances indicated the carrying value may not be recoverable, the Trustee would use the estimated undiscounted future net cash flows from the NPI to evaluate the recoverability of the Trust assets. If the undiscounted future net cash flows from the NPI are less than the NPI carrying value, the Trust would recognize an impairment loss for the difference between the NPI carrying value and the estimated fair value of the NPI. The determination as to whether the NPI is impaired requires a significant amount of judgment by the Trustee and is based on the best information available to the Trustee at the time of the evaluation. There was no impairment of the assets as of September 30, 2017.

Net profits interests in oil and gas properties

The initial carrying value of the net profits interests of $61,100,449 represents XTO Energy’s historical net book value for the interests on February 12, 1991, the creation date of the Trust. Amortization of the net profits interests is calculated on a unit-of-production basis and is charged directly to trust corpus. Accumulated amortization was $51,529,269 as of September 30, 2017 and $51,196,649 as of December 31, 2016.

For federal income tax purposes, the Trust constitutes a fixed investment trust that is taxed as a grantor trust. A grantor trust is not subject to tax at the trust level. Accordingly, no provision for income taxes has been made in the financial statements. The unitholders are considered to own the Trust’s income and principal as though no trust were in existence. The income of the Trust is deemed to have been received or accrued by each unitholder at the time such income is received or accrued by the Trust and not when distributed by the Trust.

All revenues from the Trust are from sources within Texas, Oklahoma or New Mexico. Because it distributes all of its net income to unitholders, the Trust has not been taxed at the trust level in New Mexico or Oklahoma. While the Trust has not owed tax, the Trustee is required to file an Oklahoma income tax return reflecting the income and deductions of the Trust attributable to properties located in that state, along with a schedule that includes information regarding distributions to unitholders.

Texas imposes a franchise tax at a rate of .75% on gross revenues less certain deductions, as specifically set forth in the Texas franchise tax statutes. Entities subject to the Texas franchise tax generally include trusts and most other types of entities that provide limited liability protection, unless otherwise exempt. Trusts that receive at least 90% of their federal gross income from certain passive sources, including royalties from mineral properties and other non-operated mineral interest income, and do not receive more than 10% of their income from operating an active trade or business, generally are exempt from the Texas franchise tax as “passive entities.” The Trust has been and expects to continue to be exempt from Texas franchise tax as a “passive entity.” Because the Trust should be exempt from Texas franchise tax at the Trust level as a passive entity, each unitholder that is a taxable entity under the Texas franchise tax generally will be required to include its portion of Trust revenues in its own Texas franchise tax computation. This revenue is sourced to Texas under provisions of the Texas Administrative Code, providing that such income is sourced according to the principal place of business of the Trust, which is Texas.

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Each unitholder should consult his or her own tax advisor regarding income tax requirements, if any, applicable to such person’s ownership of Trust units.

Unitholders should consult the Trust’s latest annual report on Form 10-K for a more detailed discussion of federal and state tax matters.

Several states have enacted legislation requiring state income tax withholding from payments made to nonresident recipients of oil and gas proceeds. After consultation with its tax counsel, the Trustee believes that it is not required to withhold on payments made to the unitholders. However, regulations are subject to change by the various states, which could change this conclusion. Should amounts be withheld on payments made to the Trust or the unitholders, distributions to the unitholders would be reduced by the required amount, subject to the filing of a claim for refund by the Trust or unitholders for such amount.

If monthly costs exceed revenues for any conveyance, such excess costs must be recovered, with accrued interest, from future net proceeds of that conveyance and cannot reduce net proceeds from other conveyances.

The following summarizes excess costs activity, cumulative excess costs balances and accrued interest to be recovered by conveyance:

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Continued lower oil prices in relation to operating expenses and increased development costs resulted in net excess costs on properties underlying the Texas working interests for the quarter ended September 30, 2017.

Decreased oil production resulted in net excess costs on properties underlying the Oklahoma working interests for the quarter ended September 30, 2017. Underlying accrued interest of $1,528 (NPI $1,145) was recovered during the quarter ended September 30, 2017.

Underlying cumulative excess costs for the Texas and Oklahoma working interest conveyances remaining as of September 30, 2017 totaled $2.3 million, including accrued interest of $0.2 million.

In computing net proceeds for the 75% net profits interests, XTO Energy deducts an overhead charge as reimbursement for costs associated with monitoring these interests. This charge at September 30, 2017 was $39,246 per month and is subject to annual adjustment based on an oil and gas industry index.

XTO Energy deducts a monthly overhead charge for reimbursement of administrative expenses as operator of the Hewitt Unit, which is one of the properties underlying the Oklahoma 75% net profits interests. As of September 30, 2017, this charge was approximately $29,000 per month and is subject to annual adjustment based on an oil and gas industry index. Other than this property, XTO Energy and ExxonMobil do not operate or control any of the underlying properties or related working interests.

Effective October 19, 2017, Simmons First National Corporation (“SFNC”) completed its acquisition of First Texas BHC, Inc., the parent company of Southwest Bank, the Trustee of the Trust. SFNC is the parent of Simmons Bank. SFNC has announced that it intends to operate Southwest Bank as a separate bank subsidiary for an interim period, after which it intends to merge it into Simmons Bank. The Trustee does not anticipate any material impact to the Trust as a result of the acquisition.

Item 2. Trustee’s Discussion and Analysis.

The following discussion should be read in conjunction with the Trustee’s discussion and analysis contained in the Trust’s 2016 Annual Report on Form 10-K, as well as the condensed financial statements and notes thereto included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. The Trust’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and all amendments to those reports are available on the Trust’s web site at www.crt-crosstimbers.com.

Quarter

For the quarter ended September 30, 2017, net profits income was $1,674,186 compared to $1,513,537 for third quarter 2016. This 11% increase in net profits income is primarily the result of higher oil and gas prices ($0.4 million) and net excess costs activity on the Texas and Oklahoma working interest properties ($0.3 million), partially offset by increased production expenses ($0.2 million), decreased oil and gas production ($0.2 million) and increased development costs ($0.1 million). See “Net Profits Income” below.

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After considering interest income of $2,289 and administration expense of $150,045, distributable income for the quarter ended September 30, 2017 was $1,526,430, or $0.254405 per unit of beneficial interest. Administration expense for the quarter increased $61,064 from the prior year quarter, primarily related to the timing of receipt and payment of Trust expenses and terms of professional services. Changes in interest income are attributable to fluctuations in net profits income and interest rates. For third quarter 2016, distributable income was $1,299,912, or $0.216652 per unit.

Distributions to unitholders for the quarter ended September 30, 2017 were:

Nine Months

For the nine months ended September 30, 2017, net profits income was $4,931,974 compared to $5,610,716 for the same 2016 period. This 12% decrease in net profits income is primarily the result of decreased oil and gas production ($1.8 million), net excess costs activity on the Texas and Oklahoma working interest properties ($0.5 million), increased development costs ($0.2 million) and increased taxes, transportation and other ($0.1 million), partially offset by increased oil and gas prices ($1.9 million). See “Net Profits Income” below.

After considering interest income of $4,808 and administration expense of $505,380, distributable income for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 was $4,431,402, or $0.738567 per unit of beneficial interest. Administration expense for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 increased $75,141 from the prior year nine-month period, primarily related to the timing of receipt and payment of Trust expenses and terms of professional services. Changes in interest income are attributable to fluctuations in net profits income and interest rates. For the nine months ended September 30, 2016, distributable income was $4,456,074, or $0.742679 per unit.

Net Profits Income

Net profits income is recorded when received by the Trust, which is the month following receipt by XTO Energy and generally two months after oil production and three months after gas production. Net profits income is generally affected by three major factors:

Because properties underlying the 90% net profits interests are primarily royalty and overriding royalty interests, the calculation of net profits income from these interests includes deductions for production and property taxes, legal costs, and marketing and transportation charges. In addition to these costs, the calculation of net profits income from the 75% net profits interests includes deductions for production expense, development costs and overhead since the related underlying properties are working interests.

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The following is a summary of the calculation of net profits income received by the Trust:

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The following are explanations of significant variances on the underlying properties from third quarter 2016 to third quarter 2017 and from the first nine months of 2016 to the comparable period in 2017:

Oil

Oil sales volumes decreased 9% for both the third quarter and the first nine months of 2017 primarily because of natural production decline and the timing of cash receipts.

Gas

Gas sales volumes decreased 1% for third quarter 2017 primarily because of natural production decline, partially offset by the timing of cash receipts. Gas sales volumes decreased 22% for the nine-month period primarily because of the timing of cash receipts in 2016 related to purchaser payments covering production back to 2013 and natural production decline.

The estimated rate of natural production decline on the underlying oil and gas properties is approximately 6% to 8% a year.

Oil

The average oil price increased 4% to $43.72 per Bbl for the third quarter and increased 24% to $45.58 per Bbl for the nine-month period. The third quarter 2017 oil price is primarily related to production from May through July 2017, when the average NYMEX price was $46.81 per Bbl.

Gas

Gas prices for the third quarter increased 24% to $4.17 per Mcf and for the nine-month period increased 16% to $4.16 per Mcf. Excluding the impact of the prior period production payments received in third quarter 2016 and the nine-months ended September 30, 2016, the adjusted average gas price was $2.82 and $2.83 respectively. This represents a 48% increase for the third quarter and 47% increase for the nine-months ended September 30, 2017 from the same 2016 periods. The third quarter 2017 gas price is primarily related to production from April through June 2017, when the average NYMEX price was $3.18 per MMBtu.

Taxes, Transportation and Other

Taxes, transportation and other costs increased 14% for the third quarter primarily because of increased property taxes. Taxes, transportation and other costs increased 4% for the nine-month period primarily because of increased property taxes and higher oil production taxes related to increased oil revenues, partially offset by lower gas production taxes related to decreased gas revenues.

Production Expense

Production expense increased 26% for the third quarter primarily because of increased power and fuel, overhead, and repairs and maintenance costs. Production expense decreased 1% for the nine-month period primarily because of decreased secondary recovery costs, partially offset by increased power and fuel costs and plug and abandonment expenses.

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Development Costs

Development costs increased 66% for the third quarter and 40% for the nine-month period primarily because of increased activity and costs, related to the timing or selection of projects by unit operators on the Texas and Oklahoma oil properties underlying the 75% net profits interests.

Excess Costs

If monthly costs exceed revenues for any conveyance, such excess costs must be recovered, with accrued interest, from future net proceeds of that conveyance and cannot reduce net proceeds from any other conveyance. Underlying cumulative excess costs for the Texas and Oklahoma working interest conveyances remaining as of September 30, 2017 totaled $2.3 million, including accrued interest of $0.2 million. Cumulative excess costs for the NPI remaining as of September 30, 2017 totaled $1.7 million, including accrued interest of $0.1 million. For further information on excess costs, including the excess cost balance and accrued interest by conveyance, see Note 4 to Condensed Financial Statements.

Several states have enacted legislation requiring state income tax withholding from payments made to nonresident recipients of oil and gas proceeds. After consultation with its tax counsel, the Trustee believes that it is not required to withhold on payments made to the unitholders. However, regulations are subject to change by the various states, which could change this conclusion. Should amounts be withheld on payments made to the Trust or the unitholders, distributions to the unitholders would be reduced by the required amount, subject to the filing of a claim for refund by the Trust or unitholders for such amount.

Statements in this report relating to future plans, predictions, events or conditions are forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this Form 10-Q including, without limitation, statements regarding the net profits interests, underlying properties, development activities, development, production and other costs and expenses, oil and gas prices and differentials to NYMEX prices, distributions to unitholders, and industry and market conditions, are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties which are detailed in Part I, Item 1A of the Trust’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016, which is incorporated by this reference as though fully set forth herein. XTO Energy and the Trustee assume no duty to update these statements as of any future date.

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Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk.

There have been no material changes in the Trust’s market risks from the information disclosed in Part II, Item 7A of the Trust’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016.

Item 4. Controls and Procedures.

As of the end of the period covered by this report, the Trustee carried out an evaluation of the effectiveness of the Trust’s disclosure controls and procedures pursuant to Exchange Act Rules 13a-15 and 15d-15. Based upon that evaluation, the Trustee concluded that the Trust’s disclosure controls and procedures are effective in recording, processing, summarizing and reporting, on a timely basis, information required to be disclosed by the Trust in the reports that it files or submits under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and are effective in ensuring that information required to be disclosed by the Trust in the reports that it files or submits under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 is accumulated and communicated to the Trustee to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. In its evaluation of disclosure controls and procedures, the Trustee has relied, to the extent considered reasonable, on information provided by XTO Energy. There has not been any change in the Trust’s internal control over financial reporting during the period covered by this report that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Trust’s internal control over financial reporting.

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PART II—OTHER INFORMATION

Item 1A. Risk Factors.

There have been no material changes in the risk factors disclosed under Part I, Item 1A of the Trust’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016.

Item 6. Exhibits.

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this Report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

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